Citroën just renamed itself Sytroën, and there is a clever reason why

A car brand changing its own name for a joke takes real confidence

Citroën has changed its name to Sytroën. Not permanently, and not seriously, but the French carmaker really has rebranded itself across its marketing to mark the arrival of actor Omar Sy. The wordplay on his surname is the whole point, and it is the kind of light-footed stunt that suits Citroën far better than it would most of its rivals.

What is actually happening

To be clear, this is a marketing campaign, not a real corporate rebrand. Citroën is temporarily styling itself Sytroën to launch its partnership with Omar Sy, the French actor known internationally for Lupin and Intouchables. The campaign went live on 16 June 2026, directed by Hugo Gélin and produced by Paris-based Soldats, with a global rollout across all Citroën models that starts in France.

Not an ambassador, a Special Advisor

The detail that lifts this above a simple celebrity endorsement is the role itself. Sy has not been signed as a brand ambassador in the usual sense. Citroën has appointed him as a Special Advisor, framing the relationship as a collaboration built on dialogue and shared values rather than a paid face on a poster. CEO Xavier Chardon put it directly: "Omar is a beloved figure who has remained authentic and true to himself. His ability to connect with people reflects values that have always been at the heart of Citroën."

Why it fits Citroën

Citroën has always positioned itself around accessibility, comfort and a certain unpretentious charm rather than performance or prestige. A brand that builds its identity on being approachable can afford to poke fun at its own name, and pairing that with a figure as widely liked as Omar Sy reinforces the message. The shift from traditional endorsement to an advisory relationship is also a quiet signal about how brands want to use celebrity in 2026: less billboard, more genuine association.

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This works because it is in on its own joke. Citroën is not a brand that takes itself too seriously, and turning its name into a pun for a campaign is exactly the kind of charm that money cannot manufacture if the personality is not already there. Whether Omar Sy's role as Special Advisor turns out to be substance or simply a nicer word for ambassador remains to be seen, but as a piece of brand storytelling, Sytroën lands. It is memorable, it is unmistakably French, and it made us smile, which is more than most car marketing manages.